


The Choices We Make

by shelovesyounot



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2020-12-01 21:49:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20909459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shelovesyounot/pseuds/shelovesyounot
Summary: Zelda and Mary were friends prior to Mary’s possession by Lilith. Zelda was also acquainted with the demoness prior to her arrival in Greendale, and knew (vaguely) of the Dark Lord’s will for Sabrina. She was there after all, when Edward signed the agreement and was midwife to her sister-in-law when the babe was born.Now she is raising her niece, all while keeping her friendship with Mary off her family's and coven's radar. She must deal with a fondness and very new feelings for her only mortal friend. That is, until she discovers her friend is not a mortal and not only just a friend.They say the truth always comes to surface and that there are consequences for the choices we make.





	1. Sabrina

**Author's Note:**

> I'm nervous tbh. I haven't posted a fic in yeeeaaarrs and your girl is off her game lol. I worry about this one. Apologies in advanced for any mistakes. But I hope you like it anyway!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabrina comes into the lives of the Spellman family, then under the guardianship of her aunts. Zelda can handle it. She has to.  
Baby 'Brina loves to read and makes a new friend who leaves an impression on her Aunt Zee.

_ Sabrina is perfect. She is the spitting image of her father but the sparse blonde hair is undeniably Diana’s genes. Zelda swaddles the babe. She gazes lovingly at her through welled, green eyes as she carefully hands the child to her mother. Diana is all smiles, as is Edward, and both are shedding tears of joy as the gift they had so long awaited for has finally arrived. Hilda is present. She comes up to her sister’s side and looks on with her at the happy little family. Ambrose is pacing outside the room, excited to meet his cousin. _

_ Happy birthday, Sabrina. _

_ Praise Satan. _

* * *

_ A loud cry pierces the silence in the Spellman family home. _

_ Hilda is sobbing uncontrollably. But her cries are not the only sound that have pulled Zelda away from reading her paper. _

_ A baby is crying. _

_ Zelda swallows hard. She knows something bad has happened but still prays she is wrong. Her own heartbeat is pounding loudly in her ears. She knows she cannot brace herself for what she finds as she rushes into the other room. Everything seems to be moving in slow motion. _

_ Zelda wants to sob uncontrollably. But she picks up Baby Sabrina, whose face is as red as a tomato from crying. Zelda forces herself to remain calm. Someone has to be. She holds the baby girl close and soothes her, looking to her sister. Hilda is clutching a messily scribbled note. Her shaky hand reaches it over. _

_ ‘ I love you. I trust you. ’ _

_ Zelda hushes Sabrina and coos softly. A single, burning tear escapes her closed eyes. _

_ Hours later, Ambrose answers the door. He looks with puffy, red eyes at the visitors; uniformed men standing on their porch. _

_ They already know why. _

* * *

_ Hilda has finally fallen asleep, exhausted. Zelda can hear Ambrose quietly shuffling upstairs in the attic. She looks at the baby in her arms. Sabrina has also fallen asleep. _

_ She looks so much like Edward. _

_ No. Don’t cry, Zelda chides herself. Her shaking will wake the babe. Her own eyes are heavy, with exhaustion and grief both. _

_ She gets up slowly, padding over to the crib on the other side of their room. She lays the baby down and leans to press a kiss to the infant’s tiny blonde head. _

_ Zelda makes a silent promise. She may not have been able to protect her brother and his wife, but this... this precious being they had left behind… all she had left of Edward… Zelda would devote herself to even more so than to the Dark Lord. _

* * *

**2 years later**

The bell above the door of Cerberus Books jingled and a little girl rushed in, squealing with delight. Her aunt followed close behind, smiling. 

“Sabrina, sweetheart, inside voice,” she reminded the child, posing her index finger at her red lips before gesturing to the other patrons scattered around the room, silently browsing or engrossed in their books. 

Sabrina nodded her head, which at this age looked too big for her tiny body if only because of her lustrous blonde curls. She mimicked Zelda, whispering, “_ Shh… _”

Zelda chuckled softly, brushing stray hair away from her niece’s face, “Yes, good girl.”

“Sweep books, Awnt Zee?” Sabrina inquired.

Zelda stood up, “Of course, my darling, go on and find some. Pick as many as you’d like.” _ Perhaps I’ll have you attempt to read them to me to work on that pronunciation. And hopefully you’ll also come to realize that they’re called ‘bedtime stories’. _ The witch smiled to herself.

Sabrina giggled and went waddling off to explore the children’s books. Zelda was suddenly reminded of her brother’s love of books. Edward was well read and it took him far in life. She hoped the same of her niece. 

An aisle away, Zelda strolled along the shelves, eyes scanning the spines for anything that struck her interest. Most of the titles she had already read and she was finding it more and more difficult to—

Sabrina’s squealing giggle interrupted her thoughts. Zelda heard another voice conversing with her niece and rounded the corner to the other aisle. 

Crouched down was a woman in a long, black coat with her thick brunette hair gathered into a ponytail. She pushed her round glasses up the bridge of her pointed nose, smiling at Sabrina who was gripping a large storybook in her little hands and babbling on. The woman nodded, remarking as though she understood and was genuinely interested in what the toddler had to say about this book. And then her bright, blue eyes met Zelda’s green. 

“Sorry,” Zelda apologized, shaking her head and chuckling awkwardly as she went to them, “I hope she wasn’t disturbing you.”

“Oh, no, not at all. I was walking by and couldn’t help but notice the thoughtful look on her face. She’s so adorable,” the woman giggled, “and takes her reading very seriously, it seems. I recommended the one about the duckling but she’s told me she already has that one at home.”

Zelda’s eyebrows rose as she laughed, “I’m impressed you were able to understand her.”

“I work with kids, so I suppose I’ve developed the ear for their speech,” the woman looked down at Sabrina, who set the large book down to pick up another one with a pink elephant on the cover. 

“Dis one,” Sabrina nodded with a determined look; an adorable sight evoking laughter from the onlooking women. 

“Oh, she’s so cute!” the woman remarked, then telling Zelda, “I wouldn’t worry about her speech, as she grows it'll correct itself. And at the rate she’s going, I’m certain she’ll be a very eloquent young lady. Especially thanks to you for introducing her to books at this age.”

“Thank you for saying so,” Zelda smiled, then told her niece, “Say thank you to the nice lady, Sabrina.”

“Tenk you! Byebye!” Sabrina smiled up at the stranger and waved, dragging the book with her other hand as she began to head towards the register. 

The woman smiled sweetly, waving back, “Bye, Sabrina, nice to meet you! Enjoy your book!”

Zelda scooped the book with her hand, green meeting blue once more, “Have a lovely day.”

“Thanks. You too.”

The woman went on to browse around the store. Zelda greeted the clerk politely and set the book on the counter. Sabrina bounced on her tip toes as she watched her aunt purchase her new bedtime story. As the clerk rang them up, Zelda glanced over her shoulder at the stranger. 

There were very few mortals that Zelda found tolerable and even less times that their interactions did not annoy the witch. She thanked the clerk as he handed her change over and the book in a plastic bag. Excitement swelled in the little girl.

“Mh! I want!” Sabrina reached up. 

“What would you like, Sabrina?” Zelda asked.

“I want book!”

“You want _to hold_ the book?” Zelda asked, hoping Sabrina would imitate her grammar. 

“I want howd book!” 

_ Close enough. _Zelda sighed, allowing Sabrina to carry their new purchase and ambled behind her niece. On their way out, Sabrina waved another goodbye at the nice lady. 

“Bye bye! Take care now!” 

They exchanged polite smiles and that was the first time Zelda had interacted with Mary Wardwell. But little did she know, it wouldn't be the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, I don't have this 100% planned out. But I'll do my best to work it out! Thanks again for reading!


	2. Lilith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan's handmaiden has some brief business in Greendale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruh... it's kind hard to translate Latin - English; so let's just pretend that that one line makes sense lol :P I can't decide if that's easier than typing baby talk though (sorry y'all lol).
> 
> Anyway! Chapter two! Hope you like it! :')

_ Only three days have passed since Sabrina's arrival. Zelda is alone downstairs with the baby until another presence emerges from the shadows. It smells of brimstone. The hairs on the back of Zelda's neck stand and her blood runs cold. _

_ “I will await her dark baptism. You will fulfill your brother’s end of our agreement.” _

_ This voice is the only one to ever command Zelda Spellman without receiving her brazen backtalk. It belongs to the only being who makes her tremble in fear and has her on her knees, bowing. _

_ Her own voice shakes, “Y-Yes, Dark Lord. I will raise her w-well.” _

_ "Do not fail me." _

_ As He departs, Sabrina cries. _

_ Zelda picks up Sabrina and sways her gently, "Hush, my darling, it's alright. I'm here…" _

_ Her niece's tiny hand wraps around her finger, she gingerly strokes the back of it with her thumb. _

_ "I will protect you." _

_ Ambrose comes downstairs, “What happened?” _

_ “N-Nothing,” Zelda lies, “She just woke up.” _

_Ambrose looks skeptical, but he accepts her answer and retreats back upstairs. Zelda swallows. No one can know. She promised Edward. She promised… Zelda closes her eyes and takes a breath. She will find a way. Spellmans always find a way. _

* * *

Hilda had her fingers to her mouth, smiling and watching as Sabrina picked out her pajamas. The bottom drawer was the only one she could open and she had the whole thing almost completely out of the dresser. She seemed to be talking to herself as she looked through her clothes. Hilda chuckled; that mannerism was very Spellman. Edward talked to himself as he studied, she talked to herself as she cooked and baked. The only exception was their older sister.

Little Sabrina was talkative in general; at times the things she said were unintelligible but it was terribly cute to hear and witness. She was an excitable girl, curious about everything and always wanted to be heard when she spoke. Somehow, Zelda was the only one always able to comprehend their little one and spoke to her like an adult rather than an almost 2-year-old. She chided Hilda when she used to baby talk to Sabrina, but it was difficult not to. It had been ages since they had a baby in the family.

"Awn Hiwda!" 

"Yes, my little lamb?" 

"Hewp!" Sabrina gripped two different pajamas in each hand, flapping them and pouting her lips.

"Can't decide, can you?" Hilda bent down to observe each piece, then laid them down on the bed. "Let's take a look together then."

She lifted Sabrina easily into her arms and the two debated between brown owls and light pink teddy bears. Sabrina observed how her Aunt Hilda pressed her lips and hummed in thought, “Well, I think you look adorable in both, but why don’t we go with your pink teddies tonight and save the little owls for tomorrow?”

When the blonde woman looked at her, she mimicked her gesture with a more exaggerated hum, eliciting laughter from her aunt. Hilda nuzzled noses with her, "Oh, my darling girl!”

_ You’ve no idea the happiness you bring, the light you’ve brought to this household. _ Hilda's eyes began to water a little as she smiled softly. Sabrina seemed to sense her aunt's emotions, a slight crease forming on her forehead as she brought her little hands to Hilda’s cheeks. Worry filled her round, dark eyes.

“Sad??” Sabrina shook her head, "Down't sad!!" 

“Oh, no, no! No, darling, I’m happy! You make me happy!” Hilda laughed and poked her nose.

Sabrina smiled, and repeated, “Yay! Happy!” 

“Yes!” laughed Hilda, sniffing and setting the little one down. “Let’s head on over to the bath now, shall we? The sooner we have a bath, the sooner your Aunt Zelda can read you your bedtime story!”

Sabrina squealed and clapped, hurrying out towards the bathroom. Hilda chuckled, picking up the pink pajamas and following suit.

* * *

Zelda had just finished putting the dried dishes away and stepped out onto the porch for some air. She reached for a pack of cigarettes she left on the windowsill but changed her mind; it would cling to her clothes. She’d wait until after putting Sabrina to bed. 

Leaning forward against the ledge, she breathed in the cool night air. The thin clouds slowly drifted across the deep blue of the sky, glowing silver in the light of the moon. It was late September. In a month’s time Sabrina would turn 2. The edges of Zelda lips curved up as nostalgia filled her. She recalled the milestones they had celebrated thus far; Sabrina’s first word, first step… and this was only the beginning of many firsts for her niece. 

While she was slightly melancholic that their baby was slowly but surely growing up, she couldn’t deny the joy that Sabrina brought into their lives nor could she hardly contain the eagerness that tickled her ribs at the thought of introducing Sabrina to her witch powers. But it made Zelda fearful too. Time flew by. It felt like Sabrina had only come to them last week. Zelda bit the inside of her cheek. 

_ There was still time. There was still a way _.

Lifting her gaze to the moon, Zelda felt wave of comfort wash over her. Taking a deep, long breath, she turned and headed back inside.

* * *

"'Bwina weady Awnt Zee!" Sabrina appeared in the doorway of her bedroom where Zelda was fluffing her pillows. Little arms raised, she showed off her pajamas, the towel wrapped atop her small head started to come undone. 

"Very cute," Zelda knelt and dried her niece's hair, "Did you have your Aunt Hilda help brush your teeth?"

"That she did!" came Hilda's voice. The blonde woman took the towel from her sister and draped it over her shoulder. "She's been good with her brushing, right, Sabrina? Show your Aunt Zelda those pearly whites!" 

Sabrina bared her teeth, "Eee!"

"Good girl," praised Zelda. 

"Well! I'll leave you to your aunt then, my love," Hilda told Sabrina, kissing the top of her head, "Sweet dreams."

"Nigh-night," Sabrina waved. 

Zelda snorted, smiling. Nodding when her sister asked if she wanted her to put on the kettle, Zelda settled with Sabrina on the twin sized bed; the child insisting she arrange her stuffed animals beside her before they began.

Some children's books lacked substance. Though the plot of this story had good intentions, a pink elephant was simply inane, Zelda deemed. The mortal woman had distracted her, otherwise she would have persuaded Sabrina to choose a book more appropriate for her level. Her niece was far too advanced for this pink elephant's shenanigans and simple sentences.

But looking at how Sabrina marveled at the vibrant colours throughout the pages of the book, Zelda smiled. Perhaps this book was not a complete disappointment. That smile was the sweetest and definitely priceless; it was no wonder to her that even a stranger found Sabrina endearing.

It didn't take long before Sabrina's eyelids began to droop. Prior to dinner, Ambrose had played games with her to expend as much of her energy as possible. Zelda tucked the blanket over her niece and kissed her forehead. She kept the book on the bedside table and was careful to replace herself with a pillow. 

Lastly, Zelda had taken to putting a protection spell on Sabrina every night; both for the child's safety and her own peace of mind. 

"_ Somnus tuta usque mane, ut nihil mali venire ad vos." _

Zelda's magic floated around Sabrina, gold and red flecks lingering before dissolving into an invisible barrier. She gazed lovingly at the child before retreating downstairs to have her evening tea and cigarettes. 

"Well, that was quick," Hilda remarked, setting down some biscuits next to the teapot on the dining table. 

With a sigh, Zelda raised her eyebrows, "Thankfully! We have Ambrose to thank for tuckering her out. I hadn't even finished the story, and she knocked right out." 

"Oh-hoh, yes, the little dear has so much energy!" Hilda nodded, eyes wide as she poured herself and her sister some tea, "And she's getting to be so grown up…"

"Blast," Zelda patted down the sides of her dress, "Where did I leave my matches…"

"I think I saw some by your side table in the room," Hilda told her. 

Zelda rolled her eyes and sighed, "Alright, I'll be back…"

As Zelda was returning upstairs, she heard a strange whispering, followed by a low hum. Her heart in her throat, Zelda quietly followed the sound to Sabrina's room. But the blasted old floorboards beneath her creaked ever so slightly. The noise stopped. Clenching her jaw in irritation, Zelda hurried to the room.

There, by the bed, stroking Sabrina’s hair, was another of herself.

She wanted to call for Hilda, but she couldn't. There was no use anyway. She had to get whatever it was away from Sabrina. The protection spell she put on the child was strong enough, but that depended on what they were up against. She had to be smart. 

“What are you?” Zelda was on the defensive, hands poised, her magic swirling and gathering her strong energy, knowing well that the entity taking on her form was not some sort of guardian angel. She spoke slightly quieter, wary of waking her niece, but no less authoritative, “Answer me.”

She watched the entity smirk and meet her gaze slowly. Zelda’s eyes shifted between it and the sleeping toddler, throwing a sharp, threatening look at the other being. The entity chuckled, moving away from the child and padded towards Zelda.

“Claws away, pretty kitty,” the entity purred. 

It was strange hearing a different voice come from her image, but Zelda could not afford to be distracted. She kept her guard up, eyes fixed. Another chuckle from the being.

“Speak your purpose,” she demanded.

“I am not here to harm the child nor you,” the entity left little space between them. Any normal person would be either quivering or blushing or both, but Zelda was practiced in maintaining a front. Besides, it was easy to put on a brave face against a mirror image.

“The Dark Lord sent me. To see how you and the child are holding up.”

“If I were to believe you, why would that be necessary?” Zelda prompted, slowly turning, leading them so that she was now positioned between the bed and the entity. 

“I don't question our Dark Lord. You'd be wise not to make that mistake either, my dear,” the being told her. “As I’ve said, I mean no harm. If I did, you would not be standing where you are and that child would already be in my grasp.”

“I haven’t forgotten.. if that is the concern,” Zelda replied, “Leave us now, demon.”

“_D__emoness_,” the entity corrected her. “You’ll do well to also show some respect for Satan's handmaiden.”

Zelda hadn't completely abandoned her defenses, but felt a little less threatened now. She knew very well now whose presence she was in, “....Lilith.”

“In the flesh,” the demoness chortled, and ran her hands down the form she took, then resting her hands on her hips, “Or rather _yours_ I should say. And might I add, Miss Spellman, you do take very good care of yourself. I didn't want to frighten the brat lest she stirred and woke."

“Forgive me,” Zelda bowed her head respectfully, “I… I only—"

"Oh, spare me your honeyed words," Lilith dismissed with a swatting motion. She seemed to observe Zelda's features, smirking at the tension still apparent in the other witch's stance, "I've had my fun chatting with you, and… as much as I would have enjoyed testing your abilities, I’ve completed the task I was sent here for."

The demoness looked over to the bed where the small child slept soundly, watching the rise and fall of her slow breaths. She grinned, turning back to Zelda. 

"See you in another fourteen years." 

Before Zelda could blink, she was gone and Hilda had come up behind her.

"Zelds? Are you alright? Tea's gone cold…"

"Y-Yes… I'll be right down."

* * *

While fourteen years was still some time away, preparations had to be made well in advance. Lilith might have left the Spellman house, but she had one more stop to make in Greendale. 

She shed the form of Zelda Spellman for that of a young girl who had gotten lost in the Greendale wood and positioned herself on the side of the road. The only car passing through at this hour swerved to avoid her. Lilith smirked as she watched a brunette woman stumble out of her car, chest heaving with the rush of adrenaline. 

"Oh my god," she rasped, hand at her chest. Her blue eyes stared at Lilith for a while before she slowly, cautiously approached. 

"Are… Are you alright?" 

Lilith made herself tremble, feigning hysteria, and allowing the kind woman to usher her to the car and bring her home.

* * *


	3. Mary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary gets distracted on an errand run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henlo :) Hella, hella late chapter. Hope you like it!

Mary jolted upright, her hand flinging to her jugular. She patted the smooth skin of her neck, breathing heavily and closing her eyes with relief when she realized the scissors that she had seen fly at her were only part of a terrible nightmare. 

Taking in her surroundings, she realized she must have passed out on the couch after coming home the night before. She was exhausted after all. Breathing deeply, she forced herself to slow her heart rate before getting up and padding to the kitchen to get herself some water. 

_ What a dream. _ Mary had dreams before but none that vivid. She would not be stopping to pick up strangers on the road and now that she thought about it, that was how most characters in horror movies got themselves into trouble. She shook her head and shuddered. _ Crazy. _

After downing a glass and some of water, she headed up the stairs to get ready for the day. She put on a record and turned the volume up in the bedroom that way she could hear it as she bathed. The house closest to hers was quite a distance away and with no one else in that house with her, music was almost always playing. Mary had a lovely singing voice if she did say so herself.

She looked in the mirror at her towel-clad form once she had finished. Her body was lean and of average height. She squinted, picturing different outfits on herself. Mary had long wanted to change her style, perhaps be a tad more daring, but she could never bring herself to go out in public dressed in anything other than her usual “school-teacher” attire. Perhaps she needed a fashion consultant, but those were few and far between in this corner of the United States, especially in ye olde Greendale.

All the same, Mary got dressed and headed out to run her usual weekend errands.

“_ Don't, have to be, beautiful! To turn me oon!” _Mary sang animatedly, shimmying her shoulders to Prince as she drove down the road towards town with the windows down. 

She could afford to dance and sing in the car like this now, but once she reached the edge of town that part of her went back into hiding lest she run into some students or their parents. 

Greendale tended to have a gloomy, somewhat depressing aura and if one let it linger long enough to permeate their mind, they would likely fall under a lonely spell for some time. Mary had experienced this on numerous occasions, but she had gotten much better at keeping her spirits up. Despite this, she had never really considered leaving. As strange as the town was, there was something about it that enchanted Mary and kept her in it.

* * *

  


First stop, the Greendale Grocers. 

Mary did this every week; she could likely go from the parking lot blindfolded and back. Such was small town life. Many of the townspeople fell into routine; complacent in the drab day-to-day life. Things were simple for the most part but every now and then, weird things would happen. 

Being the bookworm she was, Mary entertained the idea that Greendale was weird because of its history involving witches and witch hunting. She believed in things like that whereas most residents of Greendale likely either weren’t aware or simply didn’t care for the idea. It was fun for Mary whenever she strolled around glancing at passing faces to think about who could be a descendant of a witch. The child in her hoped that if they were still present, she would someday meet one.

She was on a first-name basis with most of the staff in the store and greeted them as she weaved through the aisles. Living alone, one didn’t need very much; a small package of her favourite loose-leaf tea, some steel-cut oats, and various other food items piled into the basket on Mary’s arm.

When she slipped her hand in her coat pocket, a small paper brushed her palm. She recalled she had written a list of other things to grab before leaving work the other day and made her way towards the other side of the store.

A moment later, Mary slowed her walk when she looked to her left. A little girl wandered the aisle looking nervous, clutching a stuffed cat in her arm and sucking the tip of her thumb. She toddled along, stopping to look around every few seconds. Mary hesitated, looking around to see if the child's parent or guardian or someone would come. This was a big store, especially for one so small. She would keep her distance and just keep an eye on the child.

Minutes passed and still no one came. The little girl noticed Mary and stared. For some reason, this child looked familiar. The child seemed to have the same thought as she walked towards Mary. The closer she got, Mary realized where she had seen her before. 

"Hello," she said, crouching down like she did when first they met, "If my memory serves me right, we've met before, haven't we? Is your name… Sabrina?" 

The little girl smiled and nodded. She remembered the stranger as well, "Nice wady!"

Mary chuckled, extending her hand. Sabina copied her and giggled when they shook hands, "My name is Mary. Nice to meet you again, Sabrina."

She glanced around again before asking, "Are you here with mummy, sweetheart? Did you lose her?"

Sabrina nodded, shifting the stuffed cat in her arm, “Yeah… I wost…”

"Not to worry, dear, I'm sure mummy’s around looking for you," said Mary as she stood up and offered for Sabrina to hold her hand. She looked around, chewing her bottom lip, “Oh, she must be worried…”

Going to the cashier to have it announced that a lost child had been found would be the easier option, though Mary considered it might be mortifying for Sabrina’s parents. If they couldn’t find Sabrina’s mother or father within the next ten minutes, she would have to do it.

They walked to the end of the aisle when Mary thought to stop and ask Sabrina, "What yummy food did you come here to buy, Sabrina? Do you know?" 

"Uhh… Want buy… appos… an'... ‘nanas…" Sabrina recounted thoughtfully, looking around and then up at Mary.

"Well, let's go that way and see if we can find your mummy there by the fruits," Mary suggested, to which Sabrina simply followed, skipping as she wrapped her hand around Mary's ring and middle fingers. 

They didn't get very far before they heard, "Sabrina Diana Spellman!" 

Both the teacher and toddler turned. A woman with auburn hair was quickly striding down the aisle towards them, overwrought. Mary recognized her immediately. Sabrina let go of Mary's fingers and ran to her.

The woman stooped down to pick her up and embraced her, eyes closing with relief, "Oh! Didn't I tell you to stay close to me??"

She pulled back to meet eyes with Sabrina, brushing the blonde curls away from the tiny face that looked back at her guiltily. She was gentle yet firm with her words, "Don't you ever scare me like that again, young lady, do you understand me?"

Sabrina nodded, "I sowwy… down't mad…" 

"No..." the woman sighed, "No, I'm not mad, sweetheart. I was just scared." 

Sabrina hugged her, hiding her face in the crook of the woman's neck. While the sight was endearing, Mary couldn't help but notice how stylish the woman was. Her coat was long and a royal purple colour with gold buttons that went very nicely with her beautifully coiffed hair gathered over her shoulder; the belt that was wrapped and tied neatly around her waist accentuated her shape. What completed the look were the wine red d'orsay stilettos. She looked like a 60s actress. Mary momentarily thought to herself that she'd found her style icon. _ What a beautiful woman _...

"Thank you," the woman's voice brought Mary back, "I hope she didn't give you a hard time..."

The woman's brows furrowed, her gaze lingering, studying Mary's face before settling at her eyes. She spoke slowly, trying to place the other woman, "We've met before…"

"Yes," Mary chuckled and nodded. She broke eye contact briefly, "Cerberus Books." 

"Oh! That's right," the woman nodded and sighed, glancing at the child in her arms who was fiddling with her stuffed cat’s ears. "It seems she bothers you wherever you go." 

"Not at all!" laughed Mary, "She was very calm, actually. I was just worried, I saw her wandering aisle 3 and I had to keep an eye on her." 

The woman tucked the child's hair behind her ear, "Oh, Sabrina... Honestly, one moment I was picking out apples with her next to me and the next, she was gone! I'm glad at least it was you that found her. Thank you so much and I do apologize again."

"Oh, no, not a problem at all," Mary assured her with a sweet smile. "Sabrina is very smart. She didn't approach me until she realized she recognized me and told me she was lost. I'm Mary, by the way. Mary Wardwell."

The woman politely extended her hand, "Zelda Spellman." 

Mary shook hands and laughed when Sabrina suddenly lit up again and reached out to shake hands as well. The little girl beamed and the sight warmed Mary’s heart.

“She’s friendly, but not usually this much,” Zelda smiled, fixing Sabrina’s light brown coat.

“Spellman…” Mary repeated, “I must’ve heard or read the name somewhere before...”

“Perhaps you’ve heard of Spellman Mortuary? It’s our family business.”

“Ah, yes, yes, that’s it.”

“And as I recall, you said you work with children?”

“I’m a teacher at Baxter Elementary and I do tutoring on the side.”

“I see… That’s wonderful work,” Zelda smiled, “You sound dedicated.”

“Oh, thank you, well, I love what I do,” nodded Mary.

“It’s been lovely chatting. I’m afraid we’ve pestered you enough,” Zelda told her, then nudged the small child in her arms, “Say thank you again to Miss Wardwell, Sabrina.”

“Tenk you!” Sabrina happily remarked. She squirmed in Zelda’s arms and went to hug Mary’s leg once she was set down.

“Oh! You’re very welcome! I’ll see you both around!” Mary smiled and patted the little girl’s head, “Have a wonderful rest of your day!”

“You too,” Zelda took Sabrina’s hand and the two headed down the aisle. 

“Honestly, my dear, you’re just like your father.” Mary heard Zelda talking to Sabrina and chuckled. 

As she continued her shopping, Mary couldn’t help but picture Zelda holding little Sabrina in her arms. What a beautiful little family they were. Zelda was incredibly gorgeous… 

Mary shook her head and felt herself flush slightly, patting her cheeks with her hands. Her thoughts were becoming obsessive and she didn’t want to admit to herself why. Mary sighed and tried to focus on getting her errands done. She reminded herself that women like Zelda would never take notice… at least not in someone so simple like herself. In any case, the woman was already married. 

_ Let it go, Wardwell, let it go. _


End file.
